Stroke

Could this have been a TIA?

03/07/2008

Question:

Hi - (Female, 49, not overweight, don`t smoke or drink, no family history of heart disease or stroke, sedentary lifestyle, angina, BP-mostly normal, cholesterol 213 (good ratio). A few weeks ago, I was sitting at my desk at work. No real stress, pretty calm. All of a sudden, my vision started to disappear from the top left corner diagonally down. It was like a shadow was walking into my peripheral vision, or a curtain was coming down, just bizzarre, so I turned to see what it was. There was nothing there and my vision came back. It didn`t last but maybe 5 seconds, but it was definitely weird. My blood pressure is usually fine (resting 117/77), but sometimes it spikes up to 180/90 for short periods (maybe an hour), usually when I`m stressed. I have angina and take Cartia XT and nitro (when needed). A friend said this could have been a TIA. My question is, since this episode was so brief, could it have been a TIA? And if so, how should I proceed? Thank you.

Answer:

From your description, I think that a transient ischemic attack is one possible cause for your symptoms. Certainly, you wouldn't want to overlook a TIA.

There is a phenomenon called amaurosis fugax, which is a temporary loss of vision in one eye which is often described as a shade coming down over the eye, which is somewhat similar to what you described although you did not stipulate whether the loss of vision was in one eye or both. One potential cause of amaurosis fugax is a high-grade blockage (stenosis) of the internal carotid artery on the same side, which is something that might need medical attention.

I would recommend that you proceed by visiting with your primary care doctor as a first pass, and let him/her decide if a further visit to a specialist (such as a neurologist or an ophthalmologist) is necessary.

Please note: only your personal physician or other health professional you consult can best advise you on matters of your health based on your medical history, your family medical history, your medication history, and how information from any of these databases may apply to you. Neither University of Cincinnati (NetWellness) nor any party involved in creating, producing or delivering this web site shall be liable for any damages arising out of access to or use of this web site, or any errors or omissions in the content thereof. (More)